Darjeeling (West Bengal) [India], April 1 (ANI): Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday said that the government aims to make India the number one country in adventure tourism.

Darjeeling, the Queen of the Himalayas and one of India's leading tourist destinations, along with Siliguri, located in the foothills of the Himalayas, has been chosen to host the second Tourism Working Group meeting from April 1-3, 2023.

During the inaugural speech at the meeting, the Union Minister said, "Our aim is to make India the number one country in adventure tourism in the world."Around 130 participants are attending the event.

The delegates from the G-20 member countries will get the opportunity to discuss the ways of reviving the tourism sector which got affected due to the Covid pandemic, in this three-day meeting from April 1 to April 3.

On the first-day event, Chief coordination of G20 Harshvardhan Shringla said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed us to showcase India to the world as we are ready to host the G20 Summit in September this year. I recall him saying that, "each part of India has its own uniqueness, heritage, beauty and culture and that our G20 meetings should not be confined to the national capital, New Delhi, alone."To explore India during the G20 meeting, Shringla said, "The delegates from the G-20 member countries will get the opportunity to discuss the ways of reviving the tourism sector which got affected due to the Covid pandemic, in this three-day meet."During his speech, he also pointed out, "India, especially the North Eastern part of the country will get a big opportunity to showcase the rich cultural heritage and tourism potentials dominated in the region."Around 10 ambassadors from different countries including Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, G20 Chief Coordinator HarshVardhan Shringla, Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism participated in the program in Siliguri and Darjeeling on the first day of the second G20 Tourism Working Group meeting.

During the three-day meetings, the foreign delegates would get to experience the tea industry, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and adventure tourism. (ANI)